PORTSMOUTH — The Sarah Long Bridge has been reopened to vehicular traffic after being closed through much of the weekend after becoming stuck in a semi-lifted position on Wednesday.

Bill Boynton, Public Affairs Officer for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation said the bridge was reopened Sunday at 7 p.m. after testing earlier in the day showed it was ready again to take traffic.

“We did some testing earlier today and from that we're ready to resume regular operations,” he said. “That means we're also able to lift for ship traffic.”

The bridge had been stuck since Wednesday and was successfully raised at 6:40 p.m. Saturday night to let an awaiting ship pass underneath. The bridge was left in the raised position till Sunday afternoon. After much effort, the Sarah Long was fully operational hours earlier than originally anticipated.

“I want to give the credit to the 10-12 workers up there who have been working in brutally cold and dangerous conditions,” said Boyton.

The closed bridge had blocked shipping lanes as well as vehicle traffic crossing from Portsmouth to Kittery, Maine. As a result, a cargo ship had been waiting to pass for three days.

The damage had been done as a result of the lift span going askew and out of the vertical guide tracks on the bridge's lift towers.